In what is probably the least surprising news of the month, Creative Assembly has announced what I think is an expansion for Empire: Total War, using Napoleon as the theme.
The turn-based campaign is split into three different story-driven campaigns, telling the story of the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte through his most famous battles.
In Napoleon: Total War, aspiring generals have the chance to play as the legendary French general Napoleon Bonaparte or as one of his opposing factions. Battling through his three biggest military campaigns, the game will take you through Italy and Egypt, narrating the early years of the fearsome commander, while the third campaign will tell the story of his fateful drive towards Moscow and, ultimately, his showdown with the Duke of Wellington at one of the most famous battles of all – The Battle of Waterloo.
So this is more Alexander: Total War than anything else, and that was the weakest of all Total War expansions. If this is an expansion, of course. They never really refer to it as such, but I assume it must be.
In the most surprising news of the month, Paradox is doing a Victoria sequel.
From the official forum description:
A sequel to the 2003 cult-hit, with a large devout following around the world. Victoria 2 is a grand strategy game played during the colonial era of the 19th century, where the player takes control over a country, guiding it through industrialisation, political reforms, military conquest and colonisation. Guide the USA to its Manifest Destiny, Make United Kingdom into a world-spanning empire, and make Germany the dominating nation in Europe.
Cult-hit is about right. It’s one of those games with a lot of great ideas but that really never worked as a great strategy game. I do think that Johan Andersson has a good grip on why Victoria didn’t hang together – he told me last year that it was “far too complex. I can’t make the effort or dedicate the time to get into it, and I’m the one who designed it. I programmed it.”
And another expansion for Europa Universalis 3 called Heir to the Throne. The game is already near ideal from where I sit, and some of the additions worry me a little. But I can’t complain too much.
(Paradox also announced a fan made game called For the Glory that seems to be a Magna Mundi type of thing, using the Europa Universalis time line and dozens of events. I can’t say I’m thrilled about the prospect.)
